Compact drinking straw



J 1-965 R. s. MILLER 3,189,171

COMPACT DRINKING STRAW Filed Dec. 5, 1963 Ruth 5. Miller ATTORNEYINVENTOR United States Patent 3,139,171 CUMPACT DRINKING STRAW Ruth S.Miller, 3945 Connecticut Ave. NW., Washington, DC. Filed Dec. 5, W63,Ser; No. 328,229 4 Claims. (Cl. 2ti6--47) This invention relates to acompact drinking straw, to a package containing the same and to the useof the same in connection with the imbibition of beverages from cartons,cups and similar containers.

With the increased use of automatic vending machines,

many of which are unattended for long intervals of time,

the consumer frequently finds that the supply of loose straws providedadjacent the vending machine has been exhausted, or hasbeen renderedunsanitary by the disposal of waste products into the straw-carryingreceptacle. Also, a person may purchase a carton of milk at one locationin a cafeteria and have to go to another location for a drinking straw.

For these and other reasons it has become desirable to provide asanitary drinking straw which Will'be available to the beverage consumerat all times.

Briefly the present invention comprises a collapsible or telescopicdrinking straw through which persons can drink any of the beveragespresently marketed in cups, cartons or similar receptacles.

The invention may be utilized in a variety of ways, some of which areshown for purposes of illustration in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a view showing the individual elements in a three partcollapsible straw, prior to their assembly, the taper having beenexaggerated somewhat for purposes of illustration;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the straw after the pieces of FIGURE 1 have beenfitted together and the straw has been extended;

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective showing the straw of FIGURES 1 and 2in one form of a sanitary Wrapper in which the straw may be packaged;

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are perspectives each showing one manner in which thepackage of FIGURE 3 may be attached to various types of beveragecontainers such as the cartons in which milk is commonly dispensed tothe consumer.

As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the collapsible straw of this inventioncomprises three interfitting sections. It will be understood that as fewas two and as many as four or more pieces may be used, but it ispreferred to use three since the cost of manufacturing increases as thenumber of pieces increases without any corresponding advantages.

I a "The straw of FIGURES l and 2 comprises a base 10 or first section,which is approximately 2%" long and which is constructed of plastic andmay be somewhat pliable; a second section 12 which fits into base It};and a third or top section 14 wihch fits into section 12. As shown inthe figures, each section is tapered towards one end. When the narrowerend Id of section 14 is inserted through the wide end 18 of section 12.and the narrower end 24 of section 12 (with section 14 already inside ofsection 12) is inserted through the wide end 22 of section It thedrinking straw will be only about as long as any one of the individualsections. Thereafter, after. the sections have been assembled in themanner indicated a crimp 24 is made on opposite Walls adjacent to thebottom of section Ill by pressing with a suitable tool, which may beheated, across the bottom of the straw. This crimp serves to prevent thesmaller pieces of the straw from falling out of the bottom 22 of thestraw when the several pieces have been inserted into section ad in themanner indicated. By turning the straw upside down Patented June 15,1965 and shaking it, the two inner sections fall out or are readilypulled out as far as the narrow end of the section in which they arecontained and the resulting straw then has the appearance of FIGURE 2which shows the straw extended to its full length. The inner sections 12and 1d are preferably made of paper, e.g. the waxed paper presently usedin the drinking straws now on the market for the same purpose, but thebottom or outermost section 10, which forms the holder for the othersections of the straw must be constructed of a firm, but slightlypliable plastic in order to be able to withstand possible crushingIbefore the straw is used by the consumer.

The straw may be affixed to a carton or cup by various fastening meansprovided that they do not cause the package to lose its sanitarycharacter.

Once the straw has been assembled it is encased in a wrapper 3% made ofcellophane, glassine, or other trans parent water-proof material,adapted to form a sanitary air-tight envelope.

Any form of sanitary wrapper may be used without depmting from theintended scope of the invention, for example as shown in FIGURE 3, awrapper 3th is provided with a tear strip 32 similar to the openingstrips presently used on packages of cigarettes and chewing gum andother automatically vended articles. The package of FIGURE 3 may alsoinclude a tab 34 of fiberboard which may be fastened to the wrapper inany suitable manner and which may have a message or advertisement on itsface, or it may be secured to a cup or carton by a strip of cardboard orby a tape 38 as shown in FIGURE 4. Tape 38 may be integral with carton40, in which case tab 34 is slipped under tape 38 in assembling thepackage. It is preferred that the straw package 30 be secured to squarecarton 40 on a slant, as it would then be less likely to fall out whenthe carton or cup is being carried. It is also possible to merely holdthe packaged straw on the cup or carton or bottled drink by means of arubber band.

In FIGURE 5, the compact drinking straw is shown in its cover 30 ofcellophane, glassine or waxed paper, laid diagonally in the lid 42 ofthe carton 48. If the side walls of the lid are not sufliciently high toprevent the packaged straw from protruding over the package, the lid maybe formed with a depression therein, as shown in the dashed lines onFIGURE 4, in order to receive the packaged telescopic straw.

In FIGURE 6 the packaged straw is shown attached to one of the slopinggables of a gable type carton, by strip 38. It is also possible to afiixthe packaged straw to the gable type carton by stapling or heat sealingtab 3d to the roof piece 38 of the gable type carton 44.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a drinking strawwhich can be easily attached to the side of a small milk carton or Waxedpaper cup used for soft drinks, which can be fastened to the neck of asoft drink :bottle, or which can be easily carried in ones pocket orhandbag and that such a straw may be used to very good advantage wherecartons of milk are sold in vending machines, snack bars or carry-outcounters or on trains or buses. The straw may be attached to the cartonat any ice ' time and it may be preferable when the straw is used oncartons being dispensed by vending machines, that the straw be attachedto the carton at the time the carton is put into the machine.

Having now described a number of preferred embodiments of my inventionit is not intended that it be limited except as may be required by theappended claims.

It will be seen that the packaged straw of the present invention may beassociated with the small half-pint cartons commonly used without beinginserted into the contents of the carton and that the straw ismaintained in a sterile and sanitary state at all times.

prising at least twoseparate tubes each tapered from one end to theother, the'smaller of said tubes havinga larger end snugly received inthe smaller end of the next larger tube, the largest of-saidtubes'being'made of a relatively rigid and less crus'hable material thanany of the smaller of said tubes, andcrimp means at the largestendof'said larger tube preventing anyof said smaller tubes from falling outofthe large tube when said straw is collapsed and said tubes are nestedwithin one 'another'in the crush resistant larger tube and when enclosedin a sanitary wrapper.

2. The straw of claim 1 collapsed and in a transparent sanitarywrapping.

3. The package of claim 2 including a tear strip thereon.

4. In a container for beverages, the packaged straw of claim 2 securedthereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,345,356 7/20Dunhill 206-37 2,013,475 9/35 Orton 229-7 2,220,746 1 1/40 Wentz 229-72,664,239 12/53 Vogt 229-7 2,665,834 1/54 Anglada 229-87 2,799,439 7/57Pugh 229-7 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner.

1. A PACKAGEABLE, TELESCOPICALLY COLLAPSIBLE STRAW COMPRISING AT LEASTTWO SEPARATE TUBES EACH TAPERED FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, THE SMALLEROF SAID TUBES HAVING A LARGER END SNUGLY RECEIVED IN THE SMALLER END OFTHE NEXT LAYER TUBE, THE LARGEST OF SAID TUBES BEING MADE OF ARELATIVELY RIGID AND LESS CRUSHABLE MATERIAL THAN NAY OF THE SMALLER OFSAID TUBES, AND CRIMMP MEANS AT THE LARGEST END OF SAID LARGER TUBEPREVENTING ANY OF SAID SMALLER TUBES FROM FFALLING OUT OF THE LARGERTUBE WHEN SAID STRAW IS COLLAPSED AND SAID TUBES ARE NESTED WITHIN ONEANOTHER IN THE CRUSH RESISTANT LARGER TUBE AND WHEN ENCLOSED IN ASANITARY WRAPPER.